Life-saving suit.



W. A. DOUGLAS.

LIFE SAYING SUIT.

APPLICATION FILED 1130.7, 1912.

Patented July29, 1913.

WITNESSES NVENTOR coLuMBlA PLANOGRAPM co.. WAsHxNn'roN. nA c.

WILLIAM A. DOUGLAS, 0F CENTRALIA, WASHINGTON.

LIFE-SAVING- SUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 7, 1912.

Patented July 29, 1913. Serial No. 735,471.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DOUGLAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Centralia, inthe county of Lewis and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Suits,\of which the-following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to life Saving suits; and it contemplates the provision of a suit constructed in such 4manner that it can be expeditiously and easily put on over ordinary clothing, and one calculated to maintain a person in upright position in the water with the upper portion of the body clear of the water, and also calculated to effeetually exclude water from the clothing and body of the wearer so as to prevent the wearer from suffering from cold while in the water.

Other advantageous characteristics of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection'with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a broken front elevation of the suit constituting the best practical embodiment of my invention of which I am cognizant. Fig. Q is a detail vertical section taken through the upper portion of the suit and the aps thereof in a plane at one side of hood.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

Among other features my novel life saving suit comprises trousers legs 1 which are closed at their lower ends and are there provided with foot-receiving portions 2 having soles 3. The trousers legs and their foot portions may be formed of any water-proof material compatible with the purpose of my invention without involving departure from the scope of the same as claimed. At its upper end the trousers portion of the suit is joined in water tight manner to or is integral with the body portion i which is also formed of suitable water-proof material, and the said body portion i is surrounded by and carries an annular inflatable receptacle 5, which in common with the trousers portion 1 and the body portion 4 is formed of water-proof material. It will also be noticed at this point that the receptacle or belt 5 when inflated and distended is tapered or gradually reduced in size downwardly, this with a View to enabling the belt to better maintain the wearer of t-he suit in an upright position in the water.

Connected to the air receptacle or belt 5 and preferably in a detachable manner is an infiating device 6, which per Se may be of any description, though I prefer that it be of bellows type as illustrated.

The body portion 11 of the suit is, in turn, joined in water tight manner to the upper portion 7 of the suit which together with Iall of its appurtenances is formed of a waterproof material thinner and more pliable than that of which the remainder of the suit is made. The said upper portion 7 is provided with.y arms 8 that terminate in closed finger portions 9; and it is also provided with a neck opening 10, a hood 11 on which are strings 12, and iiaps 13. These iaps when the suit is put on are secured in closed position overlapping the upper portion 7, by tabs 14 which are connected to the flaps in permanent manner, and are designed to be engaged with buttons 15 on the upper portion 7. I would have it understood, however, at this point that any means other than the tabs 14 and the buttons l5 may be employed to secure the flaps 13 in closed position, without involving departure from the scope o-f my claimed invention.

The back portion of the hood 1l is carried by the common back portion 13X of the flaps 13 while the front and side portions of the hood are loose, and when the hood is untied and the flaps 13 are unfastened or disconnected from the front of the upper portion 7, the upper end of the suit is opened from shoulder to shoulder. This is materially advantageous inasmuch as it adapts the suit to be quickly and easily put on as is necessary in cases of disaster at sea.

After the suit has been donned, the wearer has but to close and lap the flaps 13 one over the other and over the upper portion 7 and fasten the iiaps and inflate the receptacle or belt 5 when the wearer is ready to go into the water without discomfort; the suit serving to eifectually exclude the water from the clothing' and person of the wearer so that the immersion of the wearer is not attended by discomfort.

The hood may be used or not in the discretion of the person using the suit, but when it is employed it is simply necessary to draw it over the head and secure it in such position through the medium of the strings 12.

The inflating device 6 is preferably made detachable, as before stated, in order that it may be readily repaired when occasion demands.

Vhen deemed necessary or desirable, the suit may be provided with shoulder straps or Suspenders 14X, connected at their ends to the body portion of the suit. See dotted lines in Fig. l and full lines in Fig. 2.

Vhen the suit is not in use it may be folded into a compact bundle which will take up but little space on shipboard.

Having described my invention, what I laim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, 1s:

A life saving suit having leg portions, a body portion and an upper port-ion formed over the upper portion, and means for detachably connect-ing the flaps to the upper portion, the fiaps extending` from shoulder to shoulder of the suit, whereby when the flaps are unfastened the entire upper end of the suit is opened, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. DOUGLAS. Vitnesses:

CHAS. E. YOUNG, FRED JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

